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There may be 5 billion things that we could be thankful for at any moment, like the fact your heart will beat 3 billion times in your lifetime, or the miraculous movement of your eyes as you view millions of stars in the night sky, or the 23,000 breaths you will breath today to stay alive.    

 

Warren Wiersbe tells us that thankfulness is a lost art today.  Jesus tells us a story of 10 lepers who were healed, yet only one returned to give thanks.

 

If we are not intentional on saying thank you, we will presume upon every good gift that has come from God and from others around us.  Whether you say I’m so grateful for you, or I appreciate what you did, or Thanks for your hard work on this, I couldn’t have done it without you or I owe you one, the essence of those two words “thank you” powerful to shift our perspective from unhealthy attitudes and strengthen our relationship with God and those we love so dearly.

 

So let me share with a few of those shift perspectives:

 

The first shift is from Discontentment to Gratitude.

 

Discontentment will always contend for your gratitude and becomes divisive and destructive.  It’s the very attitude that can drive pride, envy, lust and greed.  1 John 2 tells us Do not love the world or anything in it, and yet the world manipulates our vulnerability to enslave us to its false promises, but in God’s kingdom we can learn to be content in whatever state we are as Paul explains in Philippians 4.  Instead of Paul allowing his discontentment to drive him towards envy and jealousy, greed and lust, he becomes grateful for those who came and supplied him with what he needed at a time when he was most vulnerable.  Paul recognizes that his vulnerability provided opportunity for God to use somebody else to bless him, and inside that gratitude for others, he found contentment.

 

The second shift is Resentment to Appreciation.

 

Resentment is defined as a feeling of anger or displeasure about someone or something unfair.  Resentment breeds bitterness and hatred towards another person, circumstance of situation, blocking out any chance for us to have an attitude of gratitude.

 

Think about Cain who was filled with resentment over God’s acceptance of his brother Abel’s offering, driving him toward murderous hatred that results in his brother’s death.  

 

Life is unfair, and sometimes the most difficult times we walk through can feel like captivity to our hearts and minds.  Resentment is a very real emotion and attitude but you can’t let it work into the crevices of your mind and heart.  It is toxic.

 

We need to be thankful for the surprises in life that keep us dependent on God.  We need to be thankful for the tough times that are teaching us some of life’s most important lessons.  And we need to be thankful for the challenges we face that are making us stronger in our character.   Today you have a choice to say thank you for those who live with you, appreciating the time you have had with them.  Don’t let resentment steal the joy of your relationships with God or with others.  

 

The third shift is one from Anxiety to Faith.

Jesus tells us in Matthew 6 why should we worry about our daily needs of survival, when God takes care of the birds and the flowers, why would he not take care of you.  Yet, our faith is always challenged by the worries, fears and uncertainties of our future.  Paul tells us to not be anxious, yet anxiety knocks at the door of our minds when we are waiting to get somewhere, driving to a destination behind a slow driver, standing in line at the grocery store, trying to complete a task, worrying about the bad that might happen or angry about something that already did happen.  When we allow ourselves to dream up the worst case scenarios, we blind ourselves to the joy of the moment, the peace in the storm and the love and support of those around us.

 

These shifts are so important and matter in our daily lives.  But let me leave you with this thought.  God wants to empower you with his grateful attitude towards you.  When you are full of faith, God is pleased and thankful for the worship that you offer Him.  When you serve the least of those in our society, giving of your time, money, and talents, God says that’s like doing it unto me.  Well done, He says, in other words, “Thank you”.  

 

Some of you today just need to hear those words from God…Thank you…because God appreciates you, he is so thankful for your heart that beats with faith, gratitude and appreciation.    Let the heart of God inspire you today, to a person who has the courage to say “thank you” to someone who needs to hear it.